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At least 37 records · Page 2

Miniature Beryllium Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bars for Extending the Range of Achievable Strain-Rates

Conventional Split Hopkinson Pressure Bars (SHPB) or “Kolsky” bars are often used for determining the high-rate compressive yield and failure strength of materials. However, for experiments generating very high strain-rates (>10 3 /s) miniaturization of the setup is often required for minimizing the effects of elastic wave dispersion in order to enable the inference of decreasingly short loading events from the data. Miniature aluminum and steel bars are often sufficient for meeting these requirements. However, for high enough strain-rates, miniaturization of steel or aluminum Kolsky bars may require prohibitively small diameter bars and test specimens that could become inappropriate for inferring representative properties of materials with large grain size relative to the test specimen size. The use of a beryllium Kolsky bar setup is expected to enable high rates to be accessible with larger diameter bars/specimen combinations due to the inherent physical properties of beryllium, which are expected to minimize the effects of elastic wave dispersion. For this reason, a series of beryllium Kolsky bars have been developed, and, in this paper, the dispersion characteristics of these bars are measured and compare the data with those of similarly sized 7075-T6 aluminum and C350 maraging steel. The results, which agree well with the theory, show no appreciable frequency dependence of the elastic wavespeed in the data from the beryllium bars, demonstrating its advantage over aluminum and steel in application to Kolsky bars.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quantum spin ice response to a magnetic field in the dipole-octupole pyrochlore Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7

The pyrochlore magnet Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 has attracted much attention as a quantum spin ice candidate whose novelty derives in part from the dipolar-octupolar nature of the Ce 3+ pseudospin-1/2 degrees of freedom it possesses. We report heat capacity measurements on single crystal samples of Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 down to T~0.1K in a magnetic field along the [$1,\bar{1},0$] direction. These measurements show that the broad hump in the zero-field heat capacity moves higher in temperature with increasing field strength and is split into two separate humps by the [$1,\bar{1},0$] magnetic field at ~2T. These separate features are due to the decomposition of the pyrochlore lattice into effectively decoupled chains for fields in this direction: One set of chains (α chains) is polarized by the field while the other (β chains) remains free. This situation is similar to that observed in the classical spin ices Ho 2 Ti 2 O 7 and Dy 2 Ti 2 O 7 , but with the twist that here the strong transverse exchange interactions produce substantial quantum effects. Our theoretical modeling suggests that the β chains are close to a critical state, with nearly-gapless excitations. We also report elastic and inelastic neutron scattering measurements on single crystal Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 in [$1,\bar{1},0$] and [0,0,1] magnetic fields at temperatures down to T=0.03K. The elastic scattering behaves consistently with the formation of independent chains for a [$1,\bar{1},0$] field, while the [0,0,1] field produces a single field-induced elastic magnetic Bragg peak at (0,2,0) and equivalent wavevectors, indicating a polarized spin ice state for fields above ~3T. For both [$1,\bar{1},0$] and [0,0,1] magnetic fields, our inelastic neutron scattering results show an approximately dispersionless continuum of scattering that increases in both energy and intensity with increasing field strength. By modeling the complete set of experimental data using numerical linked cluster and semiclassical molecular dynamics calculations, we demonstrate the dominantly multipolar nature of the exchange interactions in Ce 2 Zr 2 O 7 and the smallness of the parameter θ, which controls the mixing between dipolar and octupolar degrees of freedom. Finally, these results support previous estimates of the microscopic exchange parameters and place strong constraints on the theoretical description of this prominent spin ice candidate.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Fracture resistance of vintage cast iron in gaseous hydrogen

In an effort to decarbonize legacy energy systems, several projects around the world are exploring alternatives to natural gas. Gaseous hydrogen is proposed as a carbon-free fuel to displace natural gas in existing legacy natural gas distribution systems, some of which continue to operate after 100 years (or more) in service. These systems, particularly in older industrial centers, contain cast iron pipe. However, the fracture resistance of most metals is degraded in gaseous hydrogen environments. This study evaluated the fracture resistance of several legacy cast iron pipe materials while exposed to gaseous hydrogen. Measurements were performed in three environments: air, a gas mixture with hydrogen partial pressure of 1 bar and pure hydrogen with a partial pressure of 34 bar. Although cast iron is generally considered a low ductility metal, elastic-plastic fracture methods are needed to assess the fracture resistance of the relatively small specimens that can be extracted from legacy pipe. Hydrogen reduced the fracture resistance of these cast iron materials by 10-40%. In air, the fracture resistance was determined to be as high as 21 MPa m 1/2 , whereas in gaseous hydrogen at pressure of about 1 bar the fracture resistance was as low as 13 MPa m 1/2 . Additional modest degradation of the fracture resistance was assessed at higher partial pressure (as low as 12 MPa m 1/2 ).

08 HYDROGEN↗

Pulse Shaping in 1D Elastic Waveguides for Shock Testing

Mechanical shock events experienced by electronics systems can be reproduced in the laboratory using Hopkinson bar tests. In these tests a projectile strikes an bar, creating a pulse which travels through the bar into the system. The quality of these tests depends on the closeness of the shape of the incident pulse to the shape specified for the test. This paper introduces a new way to control the shape of the incoming pulse, through the use of elastic metamaterial concepts. Two dispersion-modifying material concepts, phononic crystals, and local resonators, are examined for their wave shaping capabilities in 1D elastic waveguides. They are then evaluated using a transfer matrix method to determine the output wave shape in the time domain. The concepts are then optimized for various pulse shapes, showing that they are most effective when they are tuned to introduce dispersion near the fundamental frequency of the incident wave.

DeLima, Washington↗

Thermoelastic properties of zircon: Implications for geothermobarometry

Abstract A thermal-pressure equation of state has been determined for zircon (ZrSiO4) that characterizes its thermoelastic behavior at metamorphic conditions. New pressure-volume (P-V) data from a “Mud Tank” zircon have been collected from 1 bar to 8.47(1) GPa using X-ray diffraction, and elastic moduli were measured from room temperature up to 1172 K by resonance ultrasound spectroscopy. These data were fitted simultaneously with temperature-volume (T-V) data from the literature in EosFit7c using a new scaling technique. The parameters of a third-order Birch-Murnaghan EoS with a Mie-Grüneisen-Debye model for thermal pressure have compressional EoS parameters K0T = 224.5(1.2) GPa, K0T' = 4.90(31) with a fixed initial molar volume V0 = 39.26 cm3/mol and thermal parameters γ0 = 0.868(15), q = 2.37(80), and ΘD = 848(38) K. EoS parameters that describe the variation of unit-cell parameters with pressure and temperature were determined using an isothermal-type EoS. This new EoS confirms that zircons are stiffer than garnets and exhibit a much lower thermal expansion. This results in steep isomekes between zircon and garnets, which makes zircon trapped as inclusions in garnets at metamorphic conditions a good piezothermometer.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗

Report on FY 2023 Research and Development on Specially Designed Creep-fatigue Experiments on Alloy 617 in Support of Improving Creep-fatigue Evaluation Approaches

Experimental and numerical studies in support of developing the integrated Elastic–Perfectly Plastic (EPP) plus Simplified Model Test (SMT) design methodology, referred to as the EPP+SMT method, continued in FY 2023. This report focuses on the methods for extrapolating the EPP+SMT creep-fatigue life curves at long hold times and low strain ranges at elevated temperatures. In this work, the available uniaxial creep-fatigue failure data on Alloy 617 at temperatures of 950°C and 850°C were analyzed to provide a guidance on the development of the extrapolation method and the creep-fatigue failure criteria. A viscoplastic constitutive model for Alloy 617 was adopted to extrapolate the mechanical responses to low strain ranges and long hold times. A set of design curves of Alloy 617 at temperatures of 950°C, 850°C, and 800°C with tensile hold times of 1 hr, 100 hr, and 1,000 hr are developed. Furthermore, creep-fatigue testing on two notch specimen geometries, shallow-notch and sharp V-notch, on Alloy 617 was performed 950°C to understand the multiaxial stress relaxation behavior. The experimental and numerical results on the notch specimens were compared with those on the standard uniaxial smooth bar specimens. The effect of multi-axial stress state combined with elastic follow-up on the stress relaxation behavior was investigated in this report.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Experimental Verification of Pulse Shaping in Elastic Metamaterials Under Impact Excitation

Here, we present experimental verification of pulse shaping in elastic metamaterials together with a procedure to design, fabricate, and verify metamaterial pulse shapers under impact excitation. The split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test, a fundamental dynamic test introduced more than 70 years ago, often incorporates pulse shaping as a means to alter a stress wave, providing the primary motivation for the presented study. Elastic metamaterials hold promise for enhancing conventional pulse shaping abilities and improving capabilities of the SHPB test. We first design the pulse shaper by numerically optimizing its response using finite element analysis. The pulse shaper consists of repeated unit cells based on a combination of a phononic crystal and a local resonator. Then, we fabricate and test pulse shaper candidates to validate the procedural efficacy. An iterative element corrects inaccuracies in input force and material properties and allows convergence on an appropriate pulse shaper. We carry out this procedure by designing pulse shapers fabricated from 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) to achieve an extended dwell acceleration pulse shape. In experimental impact tests, the procedure results in rise, dwell, and fall behaviors comparable to that predicted, effectively confirming the efficacy of the presented procedure and verifying the performance of metamaterial-based pulse shapers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Support of the Development of EPP Plus SMT Design Method (FY2020 Test Results)

Experiments in support of the development of the integrated Elastic–Perfectly Plastic (EPP) analysis and Simplified Model Test (SMT) design methodology continued in FY 2020. The previously developed single-bar SMT (SBSMT) technique was successfully extended to tubular shaped Alloy 617 specimens for evaluation of the effect of primary pressure load on SMT creep-fatigue (CF) properties at 950°C. A series of pressurized SMT tests were performed with various elastic follow-up factors and strain ranges. The results show that the primary pressure load reduces the SMT CF cycles. The reduction of SMT CF life due to primary load was found to be dependent on strain ranges, elastic follow up and test temperatures. These results are crucial for verification of the EPP strain range analysis in the EPP+SMT evaluation procedure. Additionally, hold time effect on the SMT CF life cycles is a determining factor for generating the EPP+SMT CF design curves. Lack of test data in the high cycle and low strain range region results in major uncertainty in developing the design curves. In FY2020, experiments were designed, and testing started on Alloy 617 at 950°C to fill the gap in experimental data. The on-going CF and additional SMT CF with elastic follow-up at low strain ranges will generate the information needed to verify the methods for extrapolation to long hold time and finalize the EPP+SMT design method.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Design and calibration of an optically segmented single volume scatter camera for neutron imaging

The Optically Segmented Single Volume Scatter Camera (OS-SVSC) aims to image neutron sources for non-proliferation applications using the kinematic reconstruction of elastic double-scatter events. Our prototype system consists of 64 EJ-204 organic plastic scintillator bars, each measuring 5mm × 5mm × 200mm and individually wrapped in Teflon tape. The scintillator array is optically coupled to two silicon photomultiplier ArrayJ-60035 64P-PCB arrays, each comprised of 64 individual 6x6mm J-Series sensors arranged in an 8 × 8 array. We report on the design details, including component selections, mechanical design and assembly, and the electronics system. The described design leveraged existing off-the-shelf solutions to support the rapid development of a phase 1 prototype. Several valuable lessons were learned from component and system testing, including those related to the detector's mechanical structure and electrical crosstalk that we conclude originates in the commercial photodetector arrays and the associated custom breakout cards. We detail our calibration efforts, beginning with calibrations for the electronics, based on the IRS3D application-specific integrated circuits, and their associated timing resolutions, ranging from 3090ps. With electronics calibrations applied, energy and position calibrations were performed for a set of edge bars using 22 Na and 90 Sr, respectively, reporting an average resolution of 12.07±0.03mm for energy depositions between 900keVee and 1000keVee. We further demonstrate a position calibration method for the internal bars of the matrix using cosmic-ray muons as an alternative to emission sources that cannot easily access these bars, with an average measured resolution of 14.86+-0.29mm for depositions between 900keVee and 1000keVee. The coincident time resolution reported between pairs of bars measured up to 400ps from muon acquisitions. Energy and position calibration values measured with muons are consistent with those obtained using particle emission sources.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

The NuMI Flux Prediction at ICARUS

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next-generation long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment seeking to probe fundamental symmetries within the structure of the Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata (PMNS) mixing matrix, and perform precision measurements its parameters including the neutrino mass ordering via the sign of $\Delta m^2_{31}$, and the charge-parity violating phase, $\delta_{CP}$. To make these measurements with high precision, DUNE will require external $\nu$-Ar scattering cross section data as a crucial input to the oscillation fit. Imaging Cosmic And Rare Underground Signals (ICARUS) is a 476 t liquid argon neutrino detector located at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL) where it is serving as the far detector for the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program along the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) axis. ICARUS additionally lies 795 m downstream and 100.1 mrad off-axis of the Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) neutrino beam. From this position, ICARUS is exposed to a large flux of NuMI (anti-)electron and (anti-)muon neutrinos, and poses a unique opportunity to provide high-statistics measurements of quasi-elastic and single pion-production cross sections for four neutrino flavors ($\nu_{\mu}$, $\nu_{e}$, $\bar{\nu}_{\mu}$, $\bar{\nu}_{e}$). This dissertation is centered around accurately characterizing the models and estimating their precision for use in making these measurements. This includes identifying major sources of uncertainty in the models such that they can be properly propagated to the cross section measurements. Specifically, this work focused on the model of the NuMI beamline and its impact on the neutrino fluxes, but also delved into the detector response model and its impact on reconstructed observables in the detector. Significant efforts were made to improve the characterization to enhance precision and thus reduce the level of propagated uncertainty. In particular, the NuMI flux was determined to be composed of 57% $\nu_{\mu}$, 38% $\bar{\nu}_{\mu}$, 3% $\nu_{e}$, and 2% $\bar{\nu}_{e}$ while the horns are operating in the positive-particle focusing configuration. The total uncertainty on the $\nu_{\mu} + \bar{\nu}_{\mu}$ ($\nu_{e} + \bar{\nu}_{e}$) flux while operating in the forward horn operating mode was determined to be 10.84% (9.04%). Compared to the on-axis flux, mesons that eventually decay to neutrinos more frequently reinteract within the NuMI structure, resulting in elevated uncertainty as these processes are not well-constrained by existing hadron interaction cross section measurements. Covariance matrices were calculated to propagate the flux uncertainty characterization to NuMI analyses.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Exploring experimental conditions to reduce uncertainties in the optical potential

Uncertainty quantification for nuclear theories has gained a more prominent role in the field, with more groups attempting to understand the uncertainties in their calculations. However, recent studies have shown that the uncertainties on the optical potentials are too large for the theory to be useful. The goal of this work is to explore possible experimental conditions that may reduce the uncertainties on elastic scattering and single-nucleon transfer cross sections that come from the fitting of the optical model parameters to experimental data. Using Bayesian methods, we explore the effect of the uncertainties of optical model parameters on the angular grid of the differential cross section, including cross-section data at nearby energies, and changes in the experimental error bars. We also study the effect on the resulting uncertainty when other observables are included in the fitting procedure, particularly the total (reaction) cross sections. We study proton and neutron elastic scattering on 48 Ca and 208 Pb. We explore the parameter space with the Markov-chain Monte Carlo method, produce posterior distributions for the optical model parameters, and construct the corresponding 95% confidence intervals on the elastic-scattering cross sections. We also propagate the uncertainties on the optical potentials to the 48 Ca(d,p) 49 Ca(g.s.) and 208 Pb(d,p) 209 Pb(g.s.) cross sections. We find little sensitivity to the angular grid and an improvement of up to a factor of 2 on the uncertainties by including data at a nearby energy. Although reducing the error bars on the data does reduce the uncertainty, the gain is often considerably smaller than one would naively expect. We also find that the inclusion of total reaction cross section can improve the uncertainty although the magnitude of the effect depends strongly on the cases considered.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Resolving the Martensitic Transformation in Q&P Steels In-Situ at Dynamic Strain Rates Using Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction

Herein the dynamic deformation response of two quenching and partitioning (Q&P) steels was investigated using a high strain rate tension pressure bar and in-situ synchrotron radiography and diffraction. This allowed for concurrent measurements of the martensitic transformation, the elastic strains/stresses on the martensite and ferrite, and the bulk mechanical behavior. The steel with the greater fraction of ferrite exhibited greater ductility and lower strength, suggesting that dislocation slip in ferrite enhanced the deformability. Meanwhile, the kinetics of the martensitic transformation appeared similar for both steels, although the steel with a greater ferrite fraction retained more austenite in the neck after fracture.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of fluorapatite to 61 GPa

Apatite is a mineral of widespread importance in Earth and planetary science. Here we examine the behavior of a natural fluorapatite (FAp) crystal from Durango (Mexico) under compression to 61 GPa. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments were carried out in a diamond-anvil cell using a synchrotron source. The apatite structure persists up to 32.4 GPa. Birch-Murnaghan equation of state parameters were fit to the pressure-volume data for fluorapatite for two cases: fixing V 0 at its measured ambient value resulted in a bulk modulus, K 0T , of 97.0(8) GPa and a pressure derivative of the bulk modulus, K' 0T , of 3.3(1), while fixing V 0 and K 0T at its ambient value 90.5 GPa (derived from ultrasonically measured elastic constants) resulted in a K' 0T value of 4.1(1). At 35.6 GPa, fluorapatite transforms to a triclinic phase (P$\bar{1}$, Z = 4), designated here as fluorapatite II (FAp-II). This phase persists up to at least 61 GPa. The major structural differences between FAp and FAp-II involve the buckling of the Ca polyhedra along the c-axis and changes in the number and coordination of the Ca sites. Furthermore, our study extends the pressure range over which fluorapatite has been examined by more than a factor of three, providing new insights into its structural response to high-pressure conditions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Software-Defined Ultrasonic Communication System Based on Time-reversal Signal Processing

Ultrasonic communication through solid channels suffers from channel dispersion, attenuation, and multipath effect. For example, in elbow shape pipes or complex structures, the elastic waves are reflected and reverberated in multipath resulting in a major dispersion of the signals. In solid channels such as flat bar, multipath propagation is the main reason for bit-wavelet spreading and intersymbol interference (ISI). The conventional modulation method like OOK (on-off-keying) or PSK (phase-shift-keying) fails to provide a useful Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). Time-reversal (TR) signal processing method is a promising technique that can compress the spreading of the bit-wavelet and strengthen the peak signal energy on the receiver. In this study, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) using ABAQUS software tools is used to characterize the bit-wavelet spreading effect caused by dispersive communication channels. Also, this study presents the impact of TR ultrasonic communication as a function of excitation pulse width, channel length, and carrier frequency through a flat-bar channel. A Software-Defined System-on-Chip (SD-SoC) platform is examined as a viable solution for the low-complexity and energy-efficient ultrasonic communication system. The proposed TR based SD-SoC ultrasonic communication system can make full use of signal dispersion for peak performance by minimizing the ISI within a dispersive and reverberant metal channel.

FEM simulation↗

An Experimental Feasibility Study on Applying Neutron Tomography to Encapsulated Spent Nuclear Fuel - 20050

Visual inspection makes easier to ensure the integrity and safety of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) than any classical techniques. Various classical techniques have been applied but there are no reliable methods to qualitatively and quantitatively verify spent fuel in dry storage. Thus, the present authors have developed the prototype safeguards apparatus for dry storage employing the array of He-4 gas scintillation detectors (S670E, Arktis Radiation Detectors Ltd., Switzerland), newly designed to simultaneously measure thermal and fast neutrons without any moderators. The S670E detector has a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 52 mm and active length of 600 mm (total length: 875 mm). The detector is filled by He-4 gas with an approximate pressure of 180 bar for fast neutron detection, and its inner wall is coated by Li-6 for thermal neutron detection. The scintillation lights generated via Li-6 nuclear reaction and elastic scattering are collected by 24 SiPMs linearly paired at the center of the detector. The detector delivers a TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic) output for pulse readout and UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) for device control. In order to assess feasibility of the apparatus, an experimental system has been designed, built, and optimized via computational studies. Cf-252 neutron sources and linearly arrayed detectors, working as a single detector, were occupied for this study due to the difficulties in working with SNF. The laboratory scale cask (diameter: 0.67 m, height: 1.5 m), minimized by a factor of 10 compared to the actual thickness of a commercial TN-32 cask, was also manufactured. The detector array was designed to rotate the lab-scale cask and obtain 36 image profiles at every 10 degrees. All profiles were aligned in single frame image called a sinogram, and the cross-sectional image was then fabricated by the inverse radon transform algorithm. These experiments have been repeated with different configurations and numbers of sources. Some gamma-ray sources were also measured with neutron sources in order to distinguish between neutron and gamma-ray pulses. Basically, a He-4 detector is designed to run on Linux OS so it is difficult to directly apply to Windows-based equipment widely used in S. Korea. Therefore, a new data acquisition board working on Windows OS was designed and built. The board mainly consists of FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and SoC (System on Chip) for TTL pulse readout, sorting measured data, and transferring data to a user interface. In conclusion, the tomographic system at lab-scale has shown considerable potential to detect a partial or gross defect of encapsulated assemblies in dry storage. Next steps of this study will be to 1) repeatedly carry out experiments to demonstrate scientific reliability and validity, and 2) numerically integrate signals with weight factors to enhance the image quality since the suggested system based on passive interrogation method requires longer measurement time. Finally, the system will apply to a commercial dry storage phased out soon in S. Korea. (authors)

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Design and Characterization of an Optically Segmented Single Volume Scatter Camera Module

Here, the optically segmented single volume scatter camera (OS-SVSC) aims to image neutron sources for nuclear nonproliferation applications using the kinematic reconstruction of elastic double-scatter events. We report on the design, construction, and calibration of one module of a new prototype. The module includes 16 EJ-204 organic plastic scintillating bars individually wrapped in Teflon tape, each measuring 0.5cx0.5cmx20cm . The scintillator array is coupled to two custom silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) boards consisting of a 2x8 array of SensL J-Series-60035 SiPMs, which are read out by a custom 16 channel DRS4 based digitizer board. The electrical crosstalk between SiPMs within the electronics chain is measured as 0.76%±0.11% among all 16 channels. We report the detector response of one module including interaction position, time, and energy, using two different optical coupling materials: EJ-560 silicone rubber optical coupling pads and EJ-550 optical coupling grease. We present results in terms of the overall mean and standard deviation of the z -position reconstruction and interaction time resolutions for all 16 bars in the module. We observed the 1σz -position resolution for gamma interactions in the 0.3–0.4 MeVee range to be 2.24 cm ± 1.10 cm and 1.45 cm ± 0.19 cm for silicone optical coupling pad and optical grease, respectively. The observed 1σ interaction time resolution is 265 ps ± 29 ps and 235 ps ± 10 ps for silicone optical coupling pad and optical grease, respectively.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Phase-field model of deformation twin-grain boundary interactions in hexagonal systems

Here, a phase-field model for describing dynamic interactions between deformation twins and grain boundaries in a hexagonal close packed (HCP) metal is established. It is applied to simulating the coupled evolution mechanisms of grains and twins in magnesium (Mg) by probing the transmission of $\{10\bar{1}2\}$ deformation twins across grain boundaries. We analyze the effect of the strain relaxation near a grain boundary, which is related to the geometric compatibility arising from the misorientation angle between adjoining grains. Phase-field simulations demonstrate that twin transmission across a grain boundary into a neighboring grain leads to grain boundary migration towards the neighboring grain with a reduced grain boundary width. The preferred nucleation site of new twin variant in the neighboring grain is related to the elastic interaction energy distribution. These predicted transmission behaviors agree well with existing experimental observations and molecular dynamics simulations. By analyzing set of systematic phase-field simulation results, we establish a rotation-angle-related twin variant selection rule for analyzing the transmission of $\{10\bar{1}2\}$ deformation twins across grain boundaries in Mg and its alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Kinetics of Failure in an Elastic Peridynamic Material

The dynamic behavior of an elastic peridynamic material with a nonconvex bond potential is studied. In spite of the material’s inherently unstable nature, initial value problems can be solved using essentially the same techniques as with conventional materials, both analytically and numerically. In a suitably constructed material model, small perturbations grow exponentially over time until the material fails. Additionally, the time for this growth is computed explicitly for a stretching bar that passes from the stable to the unstable phase of the material model. This time to failure represents an incubation time for the nucleation of a crack. The finiteness of the failure time in effect creates a rate dependence in the failure properties of the material. Thus, the unstable nature of the elastic material leads to a rate effect even though it does not contain any terms that explicitly include a strain rate dependence.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗